Taliban - The Story of Afghan Warlords
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In this excellent, highly readable book, Ahmed Rashid tells a complicated story clearly. He places the rise of the Taliban in the context of the Afghan civil war, the energy policies of the Central Asian republics and the interests of American, Saudi and Pakistani intelligence services.

The tragic events of 11 September have brought the Taliban into sharp focus as the most radical and extreme Islamist movement in the world. Little is known about the Taliban because of the deep secrecy that surrounds the organization, its leaders and its aims. The Taliban has attracted fascination and loathing, controversy and fear both in the Muslim world and in the West.

The implications of Taliban expansion have already created severe instability in Russia and Central Asia. The Taliban has become a major player in the new ‘Great Game’ – harking back to the late-nineteenth century British and Russian confrontation in the region, involving competition between Western oil companies, manipulation from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran and covert operations by the CIA. The Prize: access to the new oil fields and transit routes for oil pipelines, not to mention the allure – for some — of the narcotics trade.